What is possible in Big Band music today? The 19-strong Big Band led by trumpeter Jonas Winterhalter wants to find out by means of direct, living dialogue between composer, band members and audience. Skill, dedication and the sheer enjoyment of playing make the latest Jonas Winterhalter Big Band production very special. Big Band tradition with influences from modern jazz, classical and pop music combine to form a unique sound blend.

Jonas Winterhalter is a tireless traveller. After a trip to Nepal he brought back something surprising in his rucksack. The track Kathmandu, inspired by Thad Jones’s Tip Toe, pays homage to the Nepalese capital. “When I arrived in Kathmandu for the first time in 2013 I was practically overwhelmed by the lively and madcap energy and fled as quickly as possible into the mountains. After a period of adjustment and adaptation to the rhythm of the city, this feeling changed completely. Kathmandu swings!” Winterhalter strives to capture this energy in his compositions. Kathmandu street sounds, recorded in January 2017, accompany the piece. The track Sya’u Kera continues the theme of Kathmandu and is a tribute to Nepalese folk music, which one learns to appreciate as a welcome diversion on the buses which are crammed with people and animals. The variety and diversity of musical possibilities fascinates Winterhalter. “A composition can be the conversion and metamorphosis of musical concepts, the assimilation of memories, the development of musical ideas and dreams, a political or social statement and so much more. I use all these possibilities and combine them with the musical influences which I encounter.” That’s how in 2010, for instance, the composer came to write his first piece for Big Band, Musical Hypocrisy. “At the time (and still to this day) I was concerned by the phenomenon whereby above all politicians can quickly and entirely change their opinions and thereby represent two opposing standpoints with complete conviction yet without admitting any mistake on their part. This ability of ‘honest hypocrisy’ fascinates me in the negative sense and the track can truly be interpreted as a plea to stand up for one’s convictions and to admit when one realises a mistake has been made.” The very varied compositions and arrangements on this CD fuse into a cogent and complete work, which resembles a long journey. But Jonas Winterhalter is more than just a master of composition: “The other very important part is the development of the pieces with the band. The philosophy of writing not just for specific instruments, but with particular musicians in mind, has always intrigued me. A common story links me with all the members of my band and this played a very important role whilst writing and even more so during the rehearsals, concerts and recordings. The process involves not only writing tailor-made sections for individual musicians, but also giving them a certain freedom, taking suggested changes on board and implementing them.” The composer and band leader, born in Freiburg im Breisgau, fulfilled a long-held dream when he formed his big band. After the successful European tour in 2015, which included a solo guest performance by the New York saxophonist, Mark Turner, the band published its first studio production ELEVEN THINGS TO SAY.